A short moment later, the four cultivators arrived in the vicinity.
“What happened? Did we lose him?”
“Don’t panic! He should be hiding in the vicinity!”
“Everyone, be careful. Make sure to check the branches above too. He could be hiding amidst the trees!”
…
Zu An’s heart immediately sank. These people were supposed to be students of the academy, but their actions spoke nothing of amateurs at all.
Honestly, Jiang Luofu needs to pull up her stockings. How could she not know when there are so many spies in the academy! I really need to give her an earful when I return!
The four of them searched the area for a while, but it was no easy feat to find an individual when there were so many plausible hiding spots in the forest.
“This won’t do. It’s no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.”
“Let’s split up. It’ll be much more efficient.”
“Won’t it be dangerous if we split up though? The young master said that his fighting prowess is greater than what it seems on the surface.”
“Tsk! No matter how strong he is, he’s just a mere third rank cultivator. He can’t possibly slay us with a single slash of his sword, right?”
“Yes, that’s right! We’re not like that useless Yuan Wendong anyway. Why would that fool even bother talking to him at that crucial moment? He was asking to be crippled!”
“Alright then, let’s split up and search the area. If you encounter him, there’s no need to go all out. Just try to slow him as much as you can and wait for us to support you.”
…
The four of them took a direction each, and they slowly scanned outward with wary looks on their faces. The one who was heading in Zu An’s direction was the archer.
This was good news, for he felt that the archer posed the greatest threat to him. Having to deal with the other three melee fighters was already tough enough, but having to keep a lookout for the ranged archer too was really pushing the limits of his focus.
On top of that, the hardest part about running away earlier was that he had to dodge the arrows coming from the archer too, which significantly affected his speed. As a result, the four cultivators were able to slowly gain on him, leaving him with no choice but to head into this forest.
If he could get rid of this archer, he would have more room to maneuver around, be it whether to engage the other three in a fight or flee.
And this fellow was the one who said that I can’t OHKO him earlier. Hah! Since he already raised the flag, I’m obliged to fulfill his prophecy!
However, looking at the silhouettes of the other three in the distance, Zu An decided to give up on this tempting idea. Fourth rank cultivators were able to cover long distances pretty quickly, and there was no guarantee that he would be able to get the archer in a single shot. The archer was, after all, a fourth rank cultivator as well.
If he screwed up here, he could very well get encircled and land himself deeper in danger.
The silhouettes of the four cultivators gradually disappeared amidst the forest, but Zu An still chose to hold his position. His decision proved to be right, for a few moments later, all four of them suddenly ran back in unison and scanned the surroundings, only to sigh in disappointment.
“Hmph, looks like that fellow really isn’t here.”
Zu An sneered coldly in his mind. I’ve seen plenty of such trivial tricks on TV. If you think that you can fool me with that, you really ought to get your brain checked out.
The spear user, seemingly the leader of the group, turned to the archer and instructed, “Po Zhongyou, you’ll camp here in case Zu An escaped our notice and returns back here.”
Zu An was delighted to hear that. He was still feeling dismayed at having missed an opportunity to make a move, but who could have thought that they would deliver their comrade right into his hands.
Though, I must really say that their group sure has queer names. There was that Shit Shangfei earlier, and now there’s this Poo Zhongyou. What’s with their obsession with scat?
Po Zhongyou laughed heartily in response. He raised his bow up high and declared, “Very well! If he dares come back here, I’ll end his life with a single arrow!”
The others nodded in response before swiftly into three directions to resume their search. Clearly, they were afraid that Zu An would get away.
Po Zhongyou took a while to assess the area as he murmured to himself, “I should find a vantage point to get a clearer view of the surroundings. Hmm, that tree looks not bad.”
With a satisfied nod, he nimbly leaped onto one of the lower-lying branches of the tree and swiftly made his way up to the top. However, there was a surprise waiting for him there. He found himself welcomed with the sharp, cold glint of a sword.
It was a fast, sharp, and accurate slash. To make things worse, he was still in midair when the attack occurred, making it impossible for him to maneuver around. He couldn’t dodge even if he wanted to.
This lightning-fast sword slit his throat, turned his shocked exclamation into guttural groans.
“How about that? You said that I couldn’t get you in a single slash, right? Looks like it’s time for you to review your review.”
The leaves parted, and Zu An’s gleeful face emerged from within.